and the New York Red Bulls and Kansas City Wizards rode big performances from Juan Pablo Angel and Eddie Johnson to tighten up the Eastern Conference race as Week 8 of the Major League Soccer season was completed over the weekend.
The Revolution hadn't lost since First Kick, winning five and drawing two in their seven games since. But the Wizards came into Gillette Stadium and claimed a victory in a seven-goal thriller, highlighted by the first career hat trick from Johnson, including the late match-winner.
The week began with the Red Bulls earning a 3-0 victory against the Chicago Fire at Giants Stadium behind a pair of goals from Angel. The results left New York and New England tied atop the East, with the Wizards just a point behind.
The Western Conference race also tightened up, as the Colorado Rapids finally took advantage of a first-half red card to defeat the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in Commerce City. The Rapids pulled to within a point of FC Dallas, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt in a 2-0 loss at Chivas USA.
D.C. United ran their unbeaten streak to four games with a 2-1 home victory against defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo, who lost for the fifth time in eight games. The Columbus Crew played to a draw for the fifth time on the season, as they were held 2-2 at home by Toronto FC, while Real Salt Lake also played to their fifth draw, closing out the week with a scoreless draw in Chicago.
At Gillette Stadium, the Revolution came into the match with three wins on the trot, the last two coming at home, while the Wizards had three wins and a draw in their last five games.
Against a makeshift Kansas City rearguard that was missing three regular starters, the Revolution took an early lead through MLS ironman Steve Ralston. He took an Andy Dorman pass in the right side of the penalty area, and while K.C. 'keeper Kevin Hartman parried his first attempt, Ralston was able to latch onto the rebound and drive it back home (11).
But then the game exploded with three goals in rapid-fire fashion. Taylor Twellman doubled the New England lead in the 23rd minute, getting the ball near the halfway line and making his way toward the Wizards' goal. From well outside the area he let loose, his shot taking a slight deflection as it looped high over Hartman.
The lead lasted just two minutes. Sasha Victorine swung in a high early cross from the left touchline that split a pair of defenders and found Davy Arnaud, who brought the ball down and fired home. Then just a minute later, a poor ball was intercepted by Jack Jewsbury, who dropped in a perfect pass to Johnson. He turned and fired past Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis to pull the visitors level.
The three goals in three minutes was a minute shy of the MLS record, set in 2000 when the Miami Fusion and MetroStars contrived to score three goals in a two-minute span, and in 2003 when D.C. United scored three goals in two minutes of stoppage time against the Revolution at Gillette Stadium. It was the 10th time in MLS history three goals were scored in a three-minute gap.
Johnson then put the Wizards into the lead in the 37th minute with his second goal of the game, taking a long pass and sliding sideways across the top of the area before lashing home a low shot.
The Revolution got back to level in the 69th minute when Shalrie Joseph converted from the spot after Jewsbury was adjudged to have handled a cross. But Johnson gave the Wizards the win with his 82nd-minute finish, racing onto a looping ball over the top by Carlos Marinelli before calmly rounding Reis and sliding the ball home.
At Giants Stadium on Thursday, the Fire were coming off a 2-1 home defeat to FC Dallas after losing back-to-back games on the road, while the Red Bulls put an end to a brief two-game winless skid with a 4-0 rout of the Columbus Crew at home the previous weekend.
But it didn't take long for the Red Bulls to all but finish off the game. A long ball from the right found Juan Pablo Angel, and he quickly knocked it square to John Wolyniec. With his back to goal, he laid it off for Jozy Altidore, and the 17-year-old slammed it into the back of the net to give the home side the lead after just 55 seconds. It was the fastest goal in New York club history.
Then barely two minutes later, a cross came in from the right and was only half-cleared. Angel brought it down well and ripped a low drive inside the far post to double the New York lead with the game in just its third minute.
The goals tied an MLS record for the two fastest goals scored at the start of the game. D.C. United did it in a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 9, 1997 and the Galaxy scored twice in the opening three minutes in a 4-4 tie with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, May 9, 2001.
While the Fire came back into the game over the remainder of the first half, the Red Bulls put the game away at the three-quarter mark. From sustained pressure off a corner kick, a Seth Stammler cross was met by Taylor Graham, who knocked back into the mixer. A sublime first touch from Angel wrong-footed a defender and the Colombian toe-poked it home from close range for his fourth goal in three games in all competitions for N.Y.
At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids were still looking for a first home victory since the opening day win against D.C. United, while the Galaxy had just one in their opening five games, having played the fewest in the league.
The game turned midway through the first half when Kyle Martino was sent off with a straight red card after getting tangled up with Herculez Gomez after the Colorado striker had the ball taken away in a tackle.
The Rapids finally took advantage of their manpower situation in the 71st minute when Terry Cooke took the ball on the right and swerved in another of his trademark crosses. Gomez slipped in behind a pair of defenders and stooped to head home past Joe Cannon for his third goal of the year, but first since April 15.
The Galaxy nearly pulled level in the 83rd minute when a deflection left Nate Jaqua perfectly placed in front of goal with the ball at his feet. His low shot was stopped by Bouna Coundoul's fingertips but it escaped and rolled toward goal, only for the Colorado 'keeper to scramble back and claim it.
At The Home Depot Center, Chivas USA hadn't won in four games -- though they had played to draws in their last two -- while FC Dallas were riding a three-game winning streak -- all by 2-1 scorelines.
The home side sealed the victory with a pair of goals in the second half, both coming through their strike pair, and both coming from long range.
In the 51st minute, Maykel Galindo dispossessed FC Dallas midfielder Juan Toja in the FCD half, and leapt to his feet toward the Hoops goal. Some 30 yards from goal he ripped a wicked right-footed drive that sailed past goalkeeper Dario Sala and inside the left-hand post.
Ante Razov finished off the scoring in stoppage time with a bizarre goal. Sala was at the halfway stripe, trying to keep the ball forward as FCD chased the equalizer, and Chivas cleared the ball back out. Razov was quickest to it and knocked into the goal from inside the center circle past Sala, finally rolling slowly across the line for what was essentially an empty-net goal.
At RFK Stadium, D.C. United had followed three losses to start the season with a draw and two wins in a row, while Houston Dynamo had lost four of their last five games -- all by 1-0 shutouts.
It didn't take long for United to jump into the lead. The Black-and-Red won a free kick some 30 yards straight out from goal, and Christian Gomez hammered a blast past the wall and into the upper left-hand corner past the dive of 'keeper Pat Onstad for a fourth-minute opener.
Gomez then laid on the second for United in the 27th minute. With the ball at the top of the area, he slipped a pass to Ben Olsen coming on hard from the right, and the veteran midfielder ripped a low drive off Onstad and into the back of the net.
In the 71st minute, Brian Ching sent a shot goalward, but it hit the arm of United defender Josh Gros -- and referee Jair Marrufo pointed to the spot. But United 'keeper Troy Perkins guessed correctly, diving to his right to palm away Dwayne De Rosario's effort.
But the Canadian international made no mistake seconds later. He took a Craig Waibel square pass, cut back to avoid two over-committing defenders and fired home a low shot to give Dynamo new life, but they could get no closer.
At Crew Stadium, the Crew were returning home having lost two of their last three games after a four-game unbeaten run to start the season, while TFC had two wins in their last four games after losing the opening four matches in club history.
The Crew took just two minutes to jump into the lead. Rusty Pierce picked off a pass and lofted the ball forward for Alejandro Moreno, who laid the ball off to his left where Andy Herron was running in behind a defender. Herron drove a left-footed strike off the 'keeper for an early lead.
But Toronto drew level in the 27th minute, when Danny Dichio collected a long pass, played a neat one-two with newly-acquired Jeff Cunningham and pounded home and angled shot from inside the area.
Herron hit for his second, though, nine minutes later. A Ned Grabavoy strike from inside the area was knocked down by a diving Greg Sutton in the TFC goal, but right to the feet of Herron at the corner of the six-yard box, and he again found the net from close range. However, an injury forced him off barely two minutes later.
The visitors again pulled level four minutes after the second-half restart. From a free kick all of 35 yards from goal, defender Jim Brennan smashed a left-footed drive that sailed around the wall and into the upper right corner for his first MLS goal.
At Toyota Park, the Fire were looking to avoid a winless May, having lost four games in a row after their Thursday night loss in New York, while Real were looking for a first victory for new head coach Jason Kreis -- and a first of the season.
There were no goals, but each goalkeeper was called upon to make seven saves. Both were called upon to make some game-savers in the final minutes.
Fire 'keeper Matt Pickens stopped Jamie Watson and Andy Williams in a brief flurry in the 89th minute, then RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando put a stamp on the match with a great one-handed stop from a close-range blast by Chad Barrett deep into added time.
